MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Sunday 5/8/16
The beauty of daily fantasy baseball is that the top targets are different each and every day. Whether it's the right-handed catcher who destroys left-handed pitching or the mid-range hurler facing a depleted lineup, you're not going to find yourself using the same assets time after time.
While this breaks up the monotony, it can make it hard to decide which players are primed to succeed on a given day. We can help bridge that gap.
In addition to our custom optimal lineups, you can check out our batting and pitching heat maps, which show the pieces in the best spot to succeed on that slate. Put on the finishing touches with our games and lineups page to see who's hitting where and what the weather looks like, and you'll have yourself a snazzy looking team to put up some big point totals.
If you need help getting started on that trek, here are some of the top options on the board today.
Pitchers to Target
High-Priced Pitchers
Jake Arrieta (FanDuel Price: $12,100) - At this point, it's honestly a surprise when Arrieta allows a run. He has a sparkling 0.84 ERA on the year and has won all six of his starts. His strikeout numbers haven't jumped off the page, but it's hard to nitpick when he's averaging 50 FanDuel points per start and hasn't had below 42 in a start yet. His opponent today, the Nationals, have struggled against righties this season. They rank 25th in wRC+ against righties and have the 14th-highest strikeout rate. Arrieta has been dominant regardless of his opponent this season and is hard to pass up, even at this price.
Jose Quintana ($9,100) - He's been overshadowed by Chris Sale's dominance, but Quintana has been putting up excellent numbers as well. Through six starts, the lefty has a pristine 1.40 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. He has also posted a career-best 25 percent strikeout rate along with an impressive 5.4 percent walk rate. His opponent, the Twins, rank 23rd in wOBA against left-handed pitching this season, while striking out the sixth-most frequently. Quintana doesn't offer the 40-point floor that Arrieta does, but his ceiling per dollar is higher.
Value Pitcher
Nick Tropeano ($6,300) - Tropeano has been far from spectacular this season, but he is underpriced considering his matchup today. While he has struggled to pitch deep into games, Tropeano has a respectable 3.42 ERA. His opponent tonight, the Rays, have been horrendous against right-handed pitching. Tampa Bay ranks 26th in wOBA against righties and has the highest strikeout rate in the league against righties. Don't get me wrong -- you should do everything you can to fit in Arrieta or Quintana today. If you want exposure to some of the high run totals tonight, though, such as the the Tigers, Reds, or Blue Jays, you're going to have to find value at pitcher.
Hitters to Target
High-Priced Options
Jose Bautista ($4,000) - Bautista and the Jays are projected for 4.7 runs today against Ross Stripling, which is the third-highest total on the slate. Bautista actually hit right-handed pitching better than left last season, and his numbers at home against righties are just absurd. He posted a .583 slugging percentage and .328 ISO at home against right-handers last season. Bautista should be a big part of Toronto's impending offensive explosion.
Kyle Seager ($3,700) - Seager is officially back. After a putrid start at the plate, Seager has seen the positive regression his numbers screamed was coming. Over his past 13 games, Seager has a .367 batting average, .527 wOBA, .857 slugging percentage, .490 ISO, and 55.8 percent hard-hit rate. Today he gets to take on the struggling right-hander, Collin McHugh, who has a 6.59 ERA through five starts. Yes, please!
Joey Votto ($3,600) - Nothing to bust you out of a slump like four matchups against weak right-handed pitchers! Votto has really enjoyed this series against Milwaukee, averaging 17.8 FanDuel points, and should finish strong in a matchup against Junior Guerra. The Reds are once again projected for one of the highest totals on the board, and Votto is once again likely to be the chalk at first base.
Value Hitters
Brandon Crawford ($3,100) - Crawford has sneakily been one of the most productive shortstops recently, averaging 16.9 FanDuel points over his past six games. He should be able to stay hot tonight in an advantageous matchup against right-hander Eddie Butler. Crawford hits much better against righties and should have no problem in today's matchup with Butler, who has a career 6.10 ERA in 103 Major League innings.
J.D. Martinez ($2,800) - Martinez has been cold at the plate recently, but his advanced stats don't point towards a skills regression, so it is likely only a matter of time until he starts hitting like the 38-home run monster we saw last season. A matchup with Martin Perez might be exactly what he needs to get back on track. Perez has a 5.34 SIERA this season and has allowed right-handed batters to post much improved numbers against him throughout his career. Martinez, a righty, has absolutely crushed lefties over the past few seasons. He is also hitting near the top of the order for the team with the highest implied team total. The stage is set for a bounce-back tonight.
Brandon Phillips ($2,600) - I don't know why Phillips hasn't seen a price spike, but you get another chance to ride his hot streak against a weak pitcher at near-minimum price. Phillips has homered in four-straight games, highlighted by a double-dong performance last night. Similar to Votto, he should benefit from the high implied total against Guerra tonight. Phillips is a must in cash games at this price.
